Wednesday, March 17, 2010

USA Today asks the college question

It's an issue that EdLog has followed over the past year. A controversial piece of legislation, passed over the objections of the State Department of Education, created a career diploma for Louisiana last year. If it works as it should, we noted, career education can save kids in danger of dropping out and put them on the path toward rewarding and fulfilling occupations.

The USA Today article by reporter Mary Beth Marklein concedes that a college degree is "widely seen as the ticket to personal economic security and to global competitiveness."

But it also notes that "fewer than 60% of new students graduate from four-year colleges in six years, and just one in three community college students earn a degree."

Which begs the question: are we using our educational resources wisely?

It's a vital debate to have. Hopefully, the results of Louisiana's experiment with a career diploma will provide some answers.

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